Guthrum

Lore & Background

Guthrum led half of the split Great Army south after conquering Mercia in 874. On Epiphany, 6 January 878, he launched a surprise nighttime attack on Alfred at Chippenham during a feast day, forcing the king to flee into the marshes of Somerset. After months of guerrilla warfare from Athelney, Alfred rallied his men at Egbert's Stone and marched to Edington, where Guthrum was defeated. He retreated to a stronghold, where Alfred besieged him for fourteen days until Guthrum surrendered. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that thirty honourable men accompanied him to Aller near Athelney for baptism, with the chrism loosing taking place at Wedmore. This surrender led to the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum, which set boundaries, trade agreements, and weregild values, forming the foundation of the Danelaw.

In Their Own Story

In April 871, Guthrum joined the Great Summer Army at Reading, linking forces with the Great Heathen Army already based there. The combined force fought West Saxons before wintering in London in 871–872. By autumn 872, they returned to Northumbria to quell a revolt, overwintered at Torksey, and moved to Repton by the next year. After conquering Mercia in 874 and deposing Burgred, Guthrum split from Halfdan, heading south to fight Wessex. On 6 January 878, he struck Alfred at Chippenham on Epiphany. The Saxons were taken by surprise; Wulfhere of Wiltshire was later stripped of lands for his role in the breach. After months of skirmishes from marsh forts, Alfred met Guthrum's forces at Edington. Defeated and besieged for fourteen days, Guthrum accepted baptism as a condition of peace. He ruled East Anglia as Æthelstan until his death in 890, buried at Hadleigh.

Reader's Guide

Guthrum begins as one of the leaders of the Great Summer Army arriving in April 871. His strategy shifts from conquest to survival after Edington in 878. Key moments include the surprise attack on Chippenham on Epiphany, the retreat to a stronghold, and the fourteen-day siege by Alfred. He surrenders with thirty honourable men, receiving baptism at Aller and chrism loosing at Wedmore. Under the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum, he defines the Danelaw boundaries while ruling as Æthelstan for over ten years. His coinage bears his Christian name, signaling a dual identity as Norse king and Saxon vassal ruler. He dies in 890, recorded by the Annals of St Neots.

Did You Know?

• Guthrum was a nephew of Horik II of Denmark and a failed candidate for the Danish throne.
• He launched his surprise attack on King Alfred on Epiphany, 6 January 878, during a Christian feast day.
• After his defeat, Guthrum was baptized at Aller near Athelney, with his chrism loosing taking place at Wedmore.
• Guthrum ruled East Anglia for more than ten years under the baptismal name Æthelstan.
• Coins minted during his rule in East Anglia bore his Christian name, Æthelstan.